CHAPTER 5. DIAGNOSING CONCUSSION
resonance (MR) spectroscopy,
which looks at changes
in brain chemistry. MR
spectroscopy is revealing that
certain substances produced
by brain cells as part of their
usual activity are altered by
concussion. This is the case
even in people who don’t show
outward signs of concussion.
This suggests that in even the
mildest concussion, the energy
processes going on in brain
cells are altered by the impact.
fMRI
Researchers can look at
changes in brain function
by using another type of
MRI known as a functional
MRI (fMRI). This imaging
allows us to see regions in
the brain that are active. Dr
Fatima Nasrallah from the
Queensland Brain Institute
has been using fMRI and other
imaging techniques to study
what happens to the brain in
the immediate aftermath of a
D r Fatima Nasrallah has a very personal reason
for dedicating her professional life to the study of
brain trauma. Her grandmother had dementia and
Parkinson’s disease, which worsened dramatically after a
fall. Since then, Dr Nasrallah has applied the full spectrum of
imaging technologies to advance our understanding of what
is going on inside the brain during and after a traumatic brain
injury. She began her research career studying biochemical
brain changes using imaging, then shifted her focus to use
MRI to study physical brain changes in animals.
A move to a clinical research facility in Singapore
brought Dr Nasrallah into contact with military personnel
who had been exposed to blast injuries. It allowed her to
begin exploring how these injuries could be visualised using
imaging technologies. Dr Nasrallah is now leading a large
QBI study that will follow people with concussion over a long
period of time. She’s using imaging technologies to study
brain changes and the effects of different treatments and
interventions to reduce long-term damage from concussion.
In Profile
DR FATIMA
NASRALLAH
A 3D diffusion
spectral imaging
scan shows white
matter nerve tracts
in the brain.
IMAGE ALFRED PASIEKA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
PHOTOGRAPHYNICKVALMAS